Timber Home Kitchen Design

So much more than a place in which to prepare meals, a kitchen serves as a frequent gathering place for friends and family. In fact, a well-designed kitchen often becomes the focal point of the entire home. And, much like your timber frame home, your kitchen should reflect your personality in addition to being a functional space of your everyday life. Whether you want your kitchen front-and-center within your home’s design, or prefer it play a supporting role to your awe-inspiring great room, there are several ways in which to approach your timber frame kitchen’s design and each assures a kitchen that reflects your style.

Kitchen Ceilings and Windows

During kitchen design, it only makes sense for your focus to be on cabinets, pantry access, countertops, and appliances. After all, these are kitchen elements you interact with every day. However, remember to look up (and out!) because ceilings and windows make powerful statements in kitchen spaces.

Design options for your kitchen ceiling range from soaring vaulted ceilings with timber trusses flowing throughout to flat ceilings with fewer timber accents and a more defined space. Before you make a final decision between non-vaulted and vaulted ceilings, a few items must be considered.

• Light
• View
• Feel
• Seating

The list above is not comprehensive, but provides an excellent starting point. This is especially true because you may not relate the view you want to see each morning with the type of ceiling you select. For example, early risers who enjoy their first hot beverage with the sunrise, may opt for a vaulted ceiling accompanied by walls of glass framed in gleaming timbers. Their bursting sunrise view becomes picture-perfect. Conversely, those who prefer a less dramatic start to the day, may choose a flat kitchen ceiling for its natural coziness, and a bit less morning light. The latter, of course, brings us to windows.

Ceilings and windows make powerful statements in kitchen spaces.

The four items previously listed relate to your kitchen window selection as much as they do to that of your kitchen ceiling. For example, is your home close to your neighbor’s home? If so, your choice of vaulted or non-vaulted ceilings remains. But, by selecting clerestory windows over large floor-to-ceiling ones, the side of your neighbor’s home becomes hidden from view. And, your kitchen ceiling, vaulted or not, still receives beautiful natural light.

Another example of the beautiful marriage between ceilings and windows is that of “feel.” Nooks, by their very definition, are cozy spaces. Choosing a flat ceiling for your kitchen virtually guarantees the easy design of a cozy kitchen breakfast nook, regardless of window type. Prefer vaulted ceilings but still want a cozy nook? Consider a vaulted ceiling with open rafters to make the ceiling feel lower.    

Timber Framing in Kitchens

Due to the unique structural support and aesthetic appeal of timber framing, how you design it into your kitchen space cannot be emphasized enough. Consider the following questions.

• Do you want more or less timber in your kitchen space? Or, do you prefer no visible timber?
• Would you like to use timber framing to call attention to a feature such as an island?
• Should the timber in your kitchen design be the focal point? Or, should it simply accent the space?

Having visible timber framing within your kitchen creates a vivid look, while simply incorporating timber framing into your cabinets provides more subtle appeal.

Should you desire, timber framing will bring a powerful impact to any space in your home. However, not every Riverbend client wants a bold look within their kitchen. If this sounds like you, consider fewer timbers in your kitchen for a different look and feel like the one above. Whether you want a Mountain, European, or Modern style kitchen, Riverbend’s design professionals have the experience to create the layout and style of any look you desire.

Our architectural designers, or yours, will work with you determining the ceiling style, window type, and timber framing that meets your vision of a dream kitchen. Browse Riverbend Timber Framing kitchen and dining photos here.

Ready to get started? Contact us today.